“O Allah, I ask You for the best of what You have sent with it and I seek refuge in You from the worst of what You have sent with it.”

719.Salmah reported that is a strong wind came up, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) would say,

اللَّهُمَّ لاقحا لا عقيما

“O Allah, may it be useful (make the wind bring rain with it so that our crops and livestock can be nourished) and not useless.”

The Shaykh commented on these narrations in his explanation of al-Adab al-Mufrad by Imaam Bukhari on page 324 Vol 2. He said,

These two texts are regarding the specific remembrances made at the time of wind storms. These texts show that the useful wind contains benefit and the useless wind contains harm.

These texts also show the tremendous fear the Prophet (peace be upon him) had regarding punishments during this life and the next. Whenever he (peace be upon him) saw a wind storm or clouds gathering in the sky he feared for himself and his nation that it was a punishment (about to befall them). He would remember the statement of Allah regarding the punishment of the nation of ‘Ad.

“Then, when they saw it as a dense cloud coming towards their valleys, they said: ‘This is a cloud bringing us rain!’ Nay, but it is that (torment) which you were asking to be hastened — a wind wherein is a painful torment! Destroying everything by the Command of its Lord! So they became such that nothing could be seen except their dwellings! Thus do We recompense the people who are Mujrimûn (polytheists, disbelievers, sinners)!” [Ahqaaf: 24-25]

“And as for ‘Ad, they were destroyed by a furious violent wind! Which Allah imposed on them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if they were hollow trunks of date-palms!” [Haaqqah: 6-7]

These verses refer to the disastrous wind that has been called useless. As for the useful wind, then it is the wind that pushes clouds and carries rain to benefit the creation – both servants and the earth. This is the case with the wind.

Surely the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the perfect example and it is only befitting for us to take him as our example – especially in this affair when witnessing violent dust storms and clouds gathering in the sky. The Prophet (peace be upon him) became fearful for himself and his nation that these clouds contained punishments. So for that reason he and his companions would make these supplications whenever they witnessed the wind and clouds forming.